Beneath the Turban
by Edward Twinkletoes
Summary: Slatero Quirrell was a bright student during his time at Hogwarts. How did he come to use his skills in the service of Lord Voldemort?


**A.N/This is a fanfic that I never got around to posting before I stopped reading and writing about a year and a half ago. I hope if you see this you enjoy it.** I will be posting the chapters when I get the chance.   
**Before the Turban** By xyakks 

I would like to take the time to thank everyone who has helped me put this story together. To everyone who reads this, thank you, to everyone who leaves a review, thank you. Also special thanks goes to J.K. Rowlings for creating Harry Potter, Birgit my wonderful Beta reader, who has ensured that this story is very nearly readable.

Disclaimer: I **_do not_** own and **_do not_** claim to own anything already owned by another person or corporation and I am in no way making a profit from this little piece of fanfiction. Hats off to the ever wonderful and extremely gifted J.K. Rowlings, who by the way is the creator and owner of and all things deemed "Cannon" in the Harry Potter universe. Finally, to Warner Brothers who also own some rights to the Harry Potter name (though I'm not sure what they are).

-CHAPTER ONE-

The End in the Beginning

Memories are a grand thing. They are what make you … you, unique. Looking back on my life now, I realize just how lucky I've been, a happy childhood, loving parents, and great friends. But nothing lasts forever, no matter how much you wish it could, and eventually everything becomes a memory, sometimes-even happiness.

'What are you thinking, Toro?'

For a moment the young man hesitated, watching the changing scenery, which passed by the compartment window in a blur of frenzied colors. He took two deep, calming breaths before speaking.

'I wish it could have last forever,' Slatero Quirrell replied in what he desperately hoped was a steady voice. She was the last person he wanted to cry in front of.

Beside him Slatero heard a reminiscent sigh. 'Me too, I can't help but remember all the great things we did. It was always exciting.' A large, bright smile lit across her face suddenly, a gleam entering her eyes. 'Well most of the time; I'm not sure how _you_ felt about History of Magic, but I thought it was a real bore.' They both laughed out loud at this and the gloom that had been hanging over the compartment was whisked out the door.

Slatero Quirrell was a slight boy for someone aged 18 and a half. He had a head of flat, unremarkably brown hair with the eyes to match, a neat and, as his father liked to say very much, impeccable dress sense and a talent for doing Charmwork. For the past seven years he had been studying magic at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and, as a just reward for his many hard hours of study, had finished top of his year in both Charms and Defence Against the Dark Arts. He was a proud Ravenclaw.

Animeke Wiggers was the name of the girl that he now shared a compartment with; she too was a Ravenclaw. She had shoulder length red-brown hair, wide blue eyes and a large glittering smile that sat beneath her somewhat crooked nose. Both she and Slatero had been the best of friends since the very first week of their very first year at Hogwarts and each year the bond that they shared had grown stronger and stronger.

Their laughter died away suddenly, however, when a knock was heard at their compartment door.

'That'll be the Lunch Lady,' Slatero realized as his stomach gave an almighty Gryffindor roar. He hurriedly pulled out his leather pouch from beneath the robes he wore. 'Do you want anything?' he asked, he stood and walked to the compartment door.

'No, I don't want anything, but if you want I'll let you bring me back a Pumpkin Pasty, some Chocolate Frogs, a Cauldron Cake and because I'm in a good mood I'll even let you get me some Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans,' Animeke said cheekily.

So Slatero Quirrell returned to be seated by Animeke five minutes later laden down with pasties, frogs, cakes, beans and buns, all of which the two of them consumed greedily.

'Have you decided what you're going to do now, Toro?' Animeke asked through a mouthful of chocolate.

'Yes,' he replied simply.

'Oh, and do you care to fill me in or are you going to leave me in suspense forever?' she prodded, eager to hear finally what her friend had decided to do with his life.

Slatero sighed, finally giving in, a hot flush spread across his face. 'If you have to know –'

'Yes I do.'

'– I'm going to be working with my dad,' he finished.

'Your dad! Oh, why didn't you tell me?' Animeke squealed excitedly. 'That'll be such a thrill, think of all the action, you're so brave!'

Slatero's face grew even redder. 'Hold on, exciting? What are you talking about? He's a cleaner!' He said the last part as if it wasn't really a great thing.

Despite Slatero's attempt to quell it, however, Animeke's excitement continued to grow. 'You'll be fighting Boggarts every day! Oh and think of all the wonderful things you'll see. My mother told me one day that she had to wipe the memory of a Muggle who'd bought a tent off of an old Warlock at a garage sale in Liverpool. The tent was enchanted to be the size of a three bedroom house on the inside and we all know that Muggle tents are ridiculously small and cramped,' she gushed without taking one, single breath.

For a moment Slatero looked stumped. 'What's that got to do with cleaning?' he asked. 'And why did the Muggle need to have his memory wiped?'

Animeke simply rolled her in exasperation. 'Really, you should have taken Muggle Studies instead of wasting your time exercising that inner eye of yours in Divination. You would have learnt something useful at least.'

'Are you trying to tell me that learning all about Muggle Telephonics is more important than Palmistry? And you still haven't told me what that story of yours has to do with cleaning,' he queried in good nature.

'Yes, I'm telling you that learning about the way Muggle society lives is far more important than silly fortune telling, and by the way it's TELE-PHONE, not Telephonics,' she said, giving him a knowing look.

Now it was Slatero's turn to roll his eyes in exasperation. 'Telephone, Telephonics, there's no difference –'

'Of course there is, Telephonics is a made up word, while the Telephone is a fascinating form of Muggle communication.'

'- I've never understood your obsession with Muggles, it's really very bizarre,' he stated. For the past five years, ever since Animeke had begun Muggle Studies not a day had gone past without Slatero repeating this well-worn verse.

'Okay, enough talk about Muggles,' Animeke said, cutting in on Slatero's good-natured teasing. 'I'm going to be spending a lot of time with them over the next month.' And this was true; Animeke would be spending the next few weeks with her Aunt and Uncle, both of who were Muggles, while her mother and father were away on ministry business in Germany. Her father was an ambassador for the UK Ministry of Magic and her mother would be taking time off of work to accompany him.

'And just think,' Slatero said in mock cruelty, 'of all the fun things that you'll be enjoying as a Muggle.' He counted the subjects with the fingers of one of his hands. 'There'll be no Summer Quidditch, no mail, no real food, you won't be able to talk about magic and you won't even be allowed to use magic, but still it'll be interesting for you to see how the Muggles live first hand.'

'Oh, shut up you,' Animeke chastised. 'It won't be that bad, I'll still be able to get around whenever I want now that I have my Apparition license, so I'll still be able to have some fun. Anyway, what are you going to be doing that's so great?'

For a moment Slatero looked at her in silence, twiddling his thumbs in his lap. 'Er… I'll be doing… Heaps of stuff,' was his meager reply.

'Wow,' Animeke sounded slowly. 'That sounds _so_ much better,' she said, stifling a giggle.

Without warning, Animeke shot to her feet, shuffling past a surprised Slatero who dropped the Pumpkin Pasty that he was eating on the front of his Hogwarts robes, leaving a large orange mark. Animeke came to stand by her trunk, which was stored out of the way on a steel rack over the seating. Waving her wand she carefully levitated the heavy trunk down and onto the compartment floor. Opening the trunk, Animeke began to ruffle through the contents before finding what she was looking for, a small wooden box that contained a pack of worn cards used to play Exploding Snap.

'So, are you up for a game or are you afraid that I'll beat you silly again?' she teased, the sparkle that Slatero had come to love gleaming brightly in her blue eyes.

A sly frown crossed Slatero's face. 'Afraid?' he asked, clearly shocked. 'Didn't you see the way I handled that Boggart in Defence Against the Dark Arts? If a Werewolf can't scare me then I don't know what can!' he stated impressively, puffing his chest out a fraction.

A look of surprise crossed Animeke's face. 'A Werewolf?' she asked in an emphatic voice. 'That cute little puppy dog was a Werewolf? I don't believe you,' she said struggling to keep a straight face.

Feeling affronted, Slatero snatched the cards away from her and began to shuffle. 'Have it your way then, but don't blame me when you lose your eyebrows,' he said as he began to deal the worn cards out.

The two played away happily, an explosion here and an explosion there and all too soon the sky began to darken and with it the train began to slow as they neared London. They were on the final leg of their journey to Kings Cross Station.

They had barely enough time to pack away the cards that they'd been playing with when the train pulled up next to Platform 9 ¾. With a feeling of loss they both removed their Hogwarts robes for the last time.

'Where did that orange stain come from, Toro?' Animeke asked, giving the stain a disapproving glance as they stashed their robes hurriedly away.

'Never mind that,' Slatero said as he locked and levitated his trunk. 'We'll be late.'

Floating their trunks behind them they slid open the compartment door.

What met them was total chaos. Children and adolescents were running amok throughout the carriage, some screaming, some laughing and even some crying. Both Slatero and Animeke let out a snort of laughter when they saw the upstanding Head Boy, bent double with both arms held out, chasing an ankle biting first year Gryffindor down the corridor. "Hey you, come back with my badge!"

Their mood changed, however, back to one of sadness and reminiscence as they boarded off the train, even their trunks seemed to be floating in a gloomy manner. Slatero and Animeke both began to scan the platform for their parents.

'Well, this is it then,' Animeke stated awkwardly as she spotted her mother and father making their way towards them through the throng of bustling students.

She turned suddenly and threw herself at Slatero. 'Oh Toro, what are we going to do?' she asked in a teary voice, hiding her face in his shirt.

'I'm going to miss Hogwarts so much. I'm sorry, Toro,' she said as she pulled herself away from then the stunned boy. 'Here I go, getting all mushy on you; I know I said I wouldn't but I can't help myself.'

'It's okay,' Slatero said softly as he placed his hand firmly on her shoulder. 'I'm going to miss Hogwarts too, I can't even begin to imagine what it's going to be like now that we've finished.'

'This is really it,' Animeke whispered as she turned again to face her oncoming parents. 'I know that this sounds cliché, Toro, but today is going to be the first day of the rest of our lives,' she finished just as her parents reached her, both encompassing her in a great hug.

Slatero quietly watched the reunion from where he stood, not wanting to intrude on this special moment. He had never met Mr. Wiggers before, because like most diplomats, he spent most of his time in far off foreign lands, but instead had seen countless photographs thrust mercilessly at him by Animeke, so what he saw didn't surprise him one bit.

Mr. Wiggers was a very, very short man and reminded Slatero of his old Charms teacher Professor Flitwick, but with one small difference. Mr. Wiggers was literally as wide as he was tall, and Slatero often thought that if he were to grown his brown hair and a beard he would be the spitting image of a dwarf. Mr. Wiggers, he noted, also had a very bubbly and energetic personality, just like his daughter, a deep jolly laugh and a face that turned all shades of red.

Mrs. Wiggers on the other hand he had met on a number of occasions, mostly during the summer holidays, while he was visiting Animeke. Surprisingly, she was quite the opposite to her husband, always serious, hard work was her motto. She was a tall, well-built woman with fair skin, and Slatero knew that she worked for the Ministry of Magic as an Oblivitatior.

'Slatero, isn't this wonderful,' Mr. Wiggers chortled with glee, coming to stand by the younger man with his arms crossed and eyes crinkled, a wide, toothy smile covering his face as he watched his wife and daughter.

'Mr. Wiggers, it's a pleasure to finally meet you,' Slatero started nervously; for some reason he felt compelled to make a good first impression with Animeke's father.

To his surprise, before he could say another word Mr. Wiggers grabbed his hand in a fierce handshake and pulled Slatero into a crushing hug. From where his head was buried on Slatero's chest Mr. Wiggers spoke. 'I've heard so much about you, young Mr. Quirrell, and I'm glad to finally meet you. It gives me a chance to thank you for looking out for my little princess.'

Not knowing what to say, Slatero kept his mouth shut. Eventually, the hug ended with Mr. Wiggers pulling away, and, still beaming up at Slatero, he asked, 'you two will be keeping in touch now that you've finished school, won't you?'

'Of course Sir,' Slatero began, but was interrupted by three of his friends before he could continue.

'Wotcher, Slatero, where's Animeke?' asked a young witch with a heart shaped face and a head of long wavy, sky blue hair tied back into pigtails.

'Er, she's –'

'Oh, never mind Slatero, I see her over there,' the girl continued, pointing Animeke out to the two boys who were accompanying her. The three began to move in that direction. 'Thanks for your help, Slatero.'

Mr. Wiggers, however, stepped forward before the three could troop off, and, inclining his head upwards he greeted the newcomers. 'Hello,' he said cheerily, 'how are you Nymphadora?'

The blue hared witch stopped dead in her tracks, before slowly turning. 'Uncle Ted? How many times do I have to tell you _don't _call me Nymphadora, it's Tonks!' she stated as she walked back over to Mr. Wiggers and caught him up in a friendly hug.

'It's a pleasure to see you again Tonks,' Mr. Wiggers said. 'I've heard that you've got quite the reputation at school; who're these other two strapping lads? He asked, gesturing to the two boys standing by Tonks' side.

Both boys shrank back nervously; Tonks grabbed the closest one by the front of the robes and yanked him forward. 'Being known as a clutz doesn't count as a reputation, and this is Charlie Foyle,' she said, in a way of introduction.

Charlie Foyle was taller than Slatero, but much, much thinner. He had blond curly hair, a large nose, large lips and a thin face that reminded Slatero of a fish.

'And this is his younger brother Brendan Foyle,' she continued, pointing to the younger boy who was, like his brother, still dressed in his school robes. 'They're both in Hufflepuff with me,' she finished.

Shaking each of the boys' hands in turn Mr. Wiggers directed a question to the two brothers. 'And what year are you two in?'

Both Charlie and Brendan shrunk back, obviously shy. 'Come off it you two,' Tonks said in exasperation. 'Well Charlie just finished his fourth year with me, and Brendan has just finished his second.'

'How wonderful,' said Mr. Wiggers. 'I hope that all of you've enjoyed your time at Hogwarts?'

Tonks agreed for all three of them before announcing the Charlie and his brother wanted to leave now before the lineup for the Platform 9 and ¾ fireplaces became too long. 'They're flooing back to Dublin,' she finished.

So Tonks, Charlie and Brendan all said their good-byes to Slatero and Mr. Wiggers before pushing, and in Tonks' case tripping, their way through the bustle and over to Animeke and her mother to say farewell.

Slatero watched as Animeke and Tonks shared a long hug, then parted to go their own ways, Tonks following the two brothers over to the fireplaces and Animeke following her mother over to where Slatero and Mr. Wiggers stood.

'Hello, Slatero dear, how are you?' Mrs. Wiggers called happily as she and Animeke approached the two men.

'Hi, Mrs. Wiggers, I'm good as always,' he replied.

'That's wonderful to hear, but we really must be off, I have some paperwork that needs to be finished,' Mrs. Wiggers said apologetically. 'Are you right to get home, dear?' she asked as she ruffled his hair in a motherly way.

'Oh, yes my parents are meeting me here,' he said, glancing around once more for them.

'Well, in that case, say hello to them for us; maybe we'll have time to catch up before we head off to Germany,' Mrs. Wiggers said.

'I'll do that, Mrs. Wiggers.'

'Okay, come along, goodbye, Slatero' she said, motioning to both Animeke and Mr. Wiggers.

Animeke followed her mother, giving a small wave to Slatero; however, Mr. Wiggers stayed behind a moment. 'Well it was great to meet you Mr. Quirrell,' he said. 'You seem to be a very nice young man and I look forward to seeing more of you. Goodbye.' And he too turned and followed in his wife's footsteps.

'Slatero!' a female voice came from behind him, bringing his attention away from the departing Wiggers family.

He turned sharply on his heels in response to the call and came face to face with a frail looking woman with graying hair and tired eyes and a large bulky man, sporting the same flat, brown hair as Slatero.

'Mum! Dad!' Slatero managed to say before he too, like Animeke, was pulled into the suffocating embrace of his parents.

'Oh, Slatero, look at you, all grown up, I'm so proud of you,' his mother sobbed, her head resting on his shoulder.

'We're both proud of you,' his father stated, his voice also crackling with emotion. 'Finishing top of your class in two subjects, at the very best wizarding school in the world no less, is a great achievement, and one that merits celebrating!'

'Yes,' his mother continued. 'We're having a family get-together tonight, everyone's going to be there.'

'Really, that sounds great, but… Oh no, I have to find Animeke!' Slatero exclaimed as he suddenly remembered something that he needed to give her.

'Wait right here, I'll be back in a minute,' Slatero said as he darted off in pursuit of Animeke, weaving his way nimbly through the large crowed.

Finally he spotted her familiar form as she neared the exit to Platform 9 and ¾.

'Animeke!' he called. 'Animeke, wait!'   
Animeke stopped, and, looking over her shoulder she spotted him waving furiously at her from beside a tall witch dressed in pink robes, and a pink, pointed hat.   
After a few spoken words to her parents she quickly made her way over to Slatero.   
'What is it?' she asked, her forehead creased in worry.   
'Sorry, it's nothing,' Slatero replied. 'I just have something that I want to give you.'   
'Oh, Toro,' Animeke sighed, the lines washing off her face to be replaced by a smile.   
'Do you remember in our second year, at the start of October?' he asked.   
'Of course I do, that's when Harry Potter defeated You-Know-Who.'   
'Yes, it is,' he said as he reached into his pocket. 'I thought you might like this.'   
From out of his pocket he pulled a thin silver chain. 'I bought it during our last Hogsmeade trip,' he said holding the gift out for her. 'It's a necklace.'   
'Oh, Slatero, I… you didn't have too, you're so kind,' Animeke said as she took the silver chain from him. 'Do you want me to put it on now?' she asked, her cheeks flushing red.   
'Can you, please?' he replied.   
Taking a deep breath, Animeke unclipped the silver chain necklace, brought it to her neck and re-clasped it again.   
'How does it look?' she asked playfully.   
'It looks beautiful on you,' Slatero said truthfully, suddenly finding something interesting to look at on the ground, and, glancing up again a moment later he said, 'touch it, and close your eyes.'   
'And close my eyes?' Animeke repeated. 'Why?'   
'If you do it then you'll find out, won't you,' Slatero replied cheekily. 'Now hurry up, I think your parents are about to leave you here.'   
Taking a deep breath Animeke closed her eyes, wrapping her fingers around the silver chain. Slatero stood there nervously, watching and waiting, while Animeke held the silver chain in her grasp, and, slowly her lips formed into a small smile. 

'Oh Slatero, that's so beautiful,' Animeke said after a moment's silence, letting the silver chain fall back about her neck. 'You didn't pay too much for it?' she queried, looking away from Slatero.

'No, it was nothing, really, I wanted you to have it.'

'What would I do without you, Toro?' Animeke said slowly, and, after an awkward pause she continued, 'I have to go, Mum really does need to get home.'

'Of course, I have to get going as well,' he replied as Animeke started to back away towards her parents.

'Well then, bye, Toro,' Animeke said as she continued to back away through the crowed and towards her parents.

Slatero, however, stood where he was, watching her as she caught up with her parents who were slowly walking towards the barrier.

'Toro, you'll write me won't you?' Animeke called suddenly over the din of Platform 9 and ¾.

'Of course I will, but you have to promise me one thing,' Slatero shouted back.

'Anything, as long as I don't have to clean your room,' Animeke called again over her shoulder as she kept pace with her parents who seemed determined to exit the mayhem of the platform as soon as possible.

'Promise to write me back,' he said, dodging past a group of scowling Slytherins to keep her in sight.

Animeke turned around and smiled one of her biggest smiles at him; for some reason his heart began to beat faster. 'I'll always write you back, Toro,' she said affectionately and their locked eyes ever so briefly before Animeke turned and followed her parents through the barrier into Muggle London, out of sight.


End file.
